Total pages in book: 167
Estimated words: 164838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 824(@200wpm)___ 659(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 824(@200wpm)___ 659(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
I drowned in her vibrant blue eyes. I crippled beneath the thundering of my heart.
Emotions surged through me. Protective ones. Possessive ones. Grateful and angry and needy ones.
Christ, I’d missed her.
I hadn’t been aware how wrong life felt without her in it. How empty my arms were. How painful my loneliness had become.
I needed to kiss her. Touch her. Make sure she was okay.
But all I could think about was her deliberately putting herself in harm’s way. She’d been pig-headed and reckless, and it made me far too fucking angry. All those sleepless nights of watching out for her. All those moments I put my own well-being on the line to heal hers.
She owed me, goddammit.
She owed me for caring, and this was how she repaid me?
No.
Just no.
Not gonna happen.
“You!” She shoved both hands against my chest, smearing my black t-shirt with gunk.
I tripped backward and dropped her. Her feet swung down just in time to keep her standing. Tripping away from me, she ripped off her dirty rubber gloves and tossed them onto the grass.
Balling her fists, she hissed, “What the hell are you doing here? How dare you—”
“What the hell am I doing here? What the hell are you doing?” I flung an arm at the decrepit ladder. “That relic is rotten to its core. It could’ve killed you!”
“Don’t be so dramatic. It wouldn’t have killed—”
“How about I finish the job? Seeing as you’re so determined to put yourself at risk!”
“Don’t you dare threaten me—”
“Why?” I stalked into her, seething behind my mask. “If your life means so little to you, then why should I care? Why should I do my best to keep you safe?”
What the fuck are you doing?
This wasn’t me.
I didn’t mean any of this, but…I couldn’t stop.
“I didn’t ask you to keep me safe, you asshole!” She bared her teeth. Peng bounced around with unhappy meows. Neither of us paid him any attention. “You’re the one who appointed yourself my protector!”
“And good thing I did. Otherwise, you’d be in fucking pieces right now!”
“I was already in pieces, you prick!”
“Then you’re welcome! I seem to have done such a bang-up job looking after you that you’re now healed enough to do idiotic things like cripple yourself!”
“I would not have crippled myself!” Her cheeks shot red with rage. “And you lost any right to worry about me the moment you ghosted me! You never showed at the movies. You never even replied!”
“I wouldn’t have had to ghost you if you hadn’t made me want you!”
“Oh, so this is my fault, is it?” She threw her hands up in the air. “Of course. Go ahead. Be the typical cliché moron blaming a woman for his behavior. His stalking, spying, shady stupid behaviour!”
Snatching her around the shoulders, I held her tight. “Careful, Lori. Be really fucking careful.”
“Or what? You’ll leave again?”
I panted hard behind my mask, my fingers digging deep. Beneath my fury, bone-breaking gratefulness flooded me. She was still alive, still whole, still mine.
Mine.
She’s always been mine.
My voice lowered to a growl. “Or I’ll take you into the house and show you exactly how furious I am.”
She quaked with a full-body shudder then shoved my hands off her. Her eyes flooded with heat. “No, you won’t. You would never lay a finger on me and that’s the damn problem!”
“I remember laying three fingers on you if I’m not mistaken,” I hissed, uncontrollable lust arcing through me. “And a tongue.”
A wicked glint appeared in her molten stare. “Funny, I remember begging for more and you refusing.”
“You weren’t ready.”
“Don’t tell me what I was or wasn’t, you pompous jerk.”
“You were still covered in bruises—”
“And I wanted you to paint me with new ones. Ones I chose!” Her rage billowed to match mine. Curling her fist, she struck me in the chest. “You were so intent on fixing me, you didn’t see what was right in front of your face. Why did you have to make me feel that level of pleasure, huh? Why did you awaken me to all these feelings and then have the audacity to just vanish.” Hitting me again, she snarled, “I’m so pissed off at you. I hate that you’re here. I hate that you’re still trying to protect me all while being so stupidly blind.” Laughing, she shrugged. “But you know what? It’s fine. I’m fine. I don’t want you anymore. I’m not some victim anymore. I’m not some breakable doll to wrap in bubble wrap. I’m alive and horny, and I’m done playing whatever game this is. So go away, X. Vanish like you always do. Leave me alone so I can find someone else who will give me—”
“You’re not finding anyone.”
“You can’t stop me. I’m going to pick a guy who—”
“No way in hell is that happening. No fucking way am I letting another man touch you. Ever.”